Device for introducing cement in wells



` Jan. 12 19,26. 1,569,293

c. E. MILLER DEVICE Fon INTRopUcING CEMENT 1N WELLS 'Filed Jan. 25, 1923y -INVENTOR. 14m TONE M/LER A TTORNEYS.

lPATENT ola-Fical CARLTON E. MILLER, F SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA..

DEVICE FOB INTBODUCING CEMENT IN WELLS.

Application med January as, 192s. serial no. 614,495.

To all whom it concern.'

Be it known-that I, CARLTON E. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the cit and countyof San Francisco and State of alifornia, have invented a new and useful Device for Introducing Cementv in YWells, of which the following is a specification. l f

The invention relates to means forintroducin v'cement into deep wells such as oil wells? r the purpose of sealing off water encountered during the drilling of the well.

As is well known, in drilling deep wellsfor oil, for instance, strata of material are penetrated, some of which contain water, and

, in order that the well may be carried below I .from the bailer.

Asu

.such a strata the string of casin must be securely landed below it, sealing t e bore of the well and preventing the flow of water` into the finished well.

In the process of sealing off water in an oil well, it is customary to introduce cement into the well by means of an elongated'con` tainer, usually called a bailer, having a foot valve which is opened when the bailer strikes the bottom of the well, supposedly discharg:

in the cement at thisppoint. These foot va ves when opened usually constrict the discharge area o thebailer so that frequently when the valve is opened the cement is not discharged from 'the bailer at the water zone but is 'discharged as the bailer is a ain pulled up thru the water in the well. here is no assurance, therefore, that the cement introbottomof the bailer, so that when the bottom is removed, the cement contents of the bailer has an initial free falling movement, the momentum of. the moving cement being suliicient to .cause its complete discharge A further ob'ect Aof the invention is to provvide a bailer w ich may be formed of' one or n more lengths ofwell casing, thus reducing -theexpenseiof the bailer.

near the top into a plurality o The invention possesses other features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of my vinvention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the ,specification It is to be understood that I do not limit myself4 to the showing made by the said drawings and description, as I may adopt variationsof the preferred form .within the scope. of my invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation of the containerv as it appears when charged with cementitious material. Fig. 2 is an elevation and partial section of the lower part ofthe container showin the interior structure and the position o the parts before the cementitious material is discharged. Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the axis. of the container showing the interior structure and-the position of the parts after the cementitious material has been discharged. Broadly stated, the preferred embodiment of my invention comprises a tubular body, a frangible bottom on the body supporting a charge of cementitious material contained therein and means for fracturing the bottom to release the material from the body.

The container comprises an elongated tubular body, the major portion of which is preferably made up of one or more connected lengths of well casing 1, Fig. 1,- so that the cost ofthe bailer to the user maybe thus decreased. A bail 2 for attaching the container to a casing' -laine, in combination with a threaded collar 3 for enga ement with the upper end of the casing an a hollow foot 4 to be attached to the lower end of the cas'- ing, completes the container. The charge of cementitious, material 5 is limited only by the length of a string of casing commensurate with the height of the derrick. Seated of the foot 4 on the shoulder 6 and held in place by the threaded' end 7 of Athe casingl, is a frangible bottom consisting of a Crockery or glass plate 8, Fig. 2, preferably lenticular in cross section to provide the necessary strengthfor supportin the load of cement in the container. Aho

. lhw plunger 9 providing an unrestricted discharge outlet for the cement, slidably mounted within thefoot 4 has -a toothed edge 10 for disrupting the crockery plate 8 fragments and a smooth eoV inner bore, facilitating the complete ldischarge of the cement. The crockery plate 8 isseated above the bottom of the container so thaton disruption by the toothed plunger 9, the charge of cement has an initial free fall in the container to further facilitate its discharge. The hollow plunger 9 is provided with a screw 11 rmly fixed in the threaded aperture 12, Fig. 3, the head of the screw engaging a slot 13 in the foot 4 which limits its downward movement, as shown in Fig. 2. 'Ihe shoulder l4'on the plunger engages the lower end of the foot 4 limiting its .upward movement, as shown in Fig. 3. The hollow 'foot 4 is provided with a semi-circular shoulder or guard 15, having a circumference substantially greater than that of the container to keep it centered in the well, thereby preventing the plunger from strikingduring the process of lowering the container and prematurely discharging its contents. The frangible plate 8 is placed l in its seat 6 and the casing 1 screwed down until the plate is engaged. The container is then filled with cementitious material and lowered into the well, the plunger 9 falling to its extreme lower position by its own weight, as shown in Fig. 2. The container is lowered to the bottom of the well, the plunger 9 striking the bottom, contacting with and shattering the Crockery plate 8 into a plurality of fragments, and permitting the free discharge of the cement into the bottom of the well.

I claim:

1. A device for depositing cementitious material, comprising a tubular body, a hollow foot attac-hed thereto, a plate clamped between the body and the foot and closing the lower end of the body, and means within said :toot to engage and release said plate.

2. A device for depositing cementitiousV clamped between the body and the foot and closing the lowerlend of the body and meansv within said foot adapted to engage and fracture said plate.

4. A device for depositing cementitious material comprising a tubular body, a hollow toot attached thereto,`a plate seated in the foot, a hollow plunger telescopedwith said foot, having a toothed edge adapted to engage and release said plate.

5. A device for depositing cementitious material comprising a bail, casing attached thereto, a slotted hollow foot attached to the casing, a fzangible plate seated therein, a hollow plunger having a pin rigidly fixed thereto for engagement with said slot and limiting the downward movement of the plunger, and having a shoulder for engagement with the lower end of the `foot and limiting the upward -movement of the plunger, and means for centering said plunger in the well.

6. A container for depositing cementitious material in a deep well, comprising a bail, casing attached thereto, a foot attached to the casing, a frangible plate, a plunger within the foot for engagement with the plate and a shoulder on said foot for centering the container in the well.

7. A device for depositing cementitious material comprising a tubular body having a discharge outlet in the bottom of substantially the same diameter as the body, a removable plate closing said outletand a tuetY bular plunger slidable in said body below the plate adapted to be moved relatively to the body, to release the plate from the body and permit the discharge of the vmaterial through the plunger.

8. A device for depositing cementitious material comprising a tubular body having a wide `open bottom to permit the unre-` stricted discharge of the material,

a plate closing the bottom ol the body,

a tubular foot attached -to the body and extending below said plate and a tubular plunger of substantially the same diameter as the body,

slidablein said foot 'andvadapted to contact with and release the plate to permit the dis-- charge of the material through'the plunger. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set m hand. f y V CARLTON' E. MILLER. 

